Thousands auditioned, just 13 made it on to the show and only one triumphed in last night's season finale of America's Next Top Model. Krista White was named the winner of cycle 14 in New Zealand, beating fellow finalist Raina Hein into second place. She had been on a winning streak, nabbing the best picture honors for three weeks in a row, with Tyra Banks describing her as "the embodiment of America's Next Top Model". We gave the 24-year-old a call to chat about her victory.

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Congratulations! How does it feel now everyone knows you are the winner?!
"Thank you! I'm still so nervous. I'm scared and all over the place because this is the beginning, not the end. This is the time when you hit the ground running and you really show what you are all about. I'm ready to kick down the doors and get started!"

Has it sunk in yet?
"No! It hasn't! I still feel like the same old Krista and do the same old things. It hasn't sunk in yet and I don't know when it will, maybe when I go home to Arkansas!"

You said nobody expected you to win. When did it hit home you had a chance?
"I think it was when I made it to the final two. In the beginning I never thought it would be me, I could always find a reason for everybody to win except myself. I was confident in casting week but when I made it into the house and after the first photoshoot I thought, 'OK, I might not win this but let me do the best I can so that I can at least make it far enough'. I never saw myself winning but I think it set in at the final two when I thought, 'It's a 50/50 chance it's me, that I'm America's Next Top Model'. It still didn't really register then, but I knew I was a little closer. I think I'll probably always be this way and a little humble, and I think that's what sets me apart from people and will keep me going."

Did you get a confidence boost from winning so many best photos?
"I never felt like that going into panel, even after getting best photo. At any point you can go home, you never knew. It's down to the wire. When it was the top six, all the pictures were really good so it's like, 'OK you still have to send home one of the best and it could still be me'. At every panel, I don't care how many challenges, best pictures - it meant nothing to me. It's a new challenge, a new day and new panel every time I went."

You got some amazing comments from Tyra and the panel. How did that feel?
"It felt amazing because sometimes you are your worst critic so you're a little harder on yourself than other people would be. So to hear André say I could go international, and hear Tyra say, 'I believe in you and I know you're going to do well', and for Nigel to tell me I was one of his favorites to shoot, and that I'm a model - it's a dream come true and something I've wanted to do all my life. To hear people confirm that for me, and people that are so influential in the fashion industry to confirm, is so much better."

You were friends with Angelea and then seemed to develop a rivalry. How would you describe your relationship?
"We're actually very close. She is like my best friend, we talk every day. I can understand where she is coming from and that's probably why we remained close. The competition came down to the wire and everyone in the house wanted that number one spot, and she wanted it. She wasn't there to really be my friend, we just became friends, it just happened. At the end of the day she was there for Angelea and to win the competition, so I understand where she was coming from a little bit, it was cool."

What about Raina? She mentioned in the episode that she didn't think you liked her?
"I'm so confused by that, I can't believe her! There was never any time where I was so mean to her. I was cracking jokes on some of the things she was saying, but I crack jokes on everybody. That was nothing new! I was never mean to her, or got in her face or yelled at her or argued with her. I don't understand where she was coming from when she said I was mean to her. It was something she never discussed with me, even after our final episode. The next day we were in a hotel room and she never said she felt like I was mean to her. I don't know, I think she was great and gave great competition. I was secretly a Raina fan from the beginning and I knew she'd go far."

So how did it feel going up against her?
"Oh it was tough! She was in my three top people, everybody had their secret few, and she was one of my secret few. I thought this girl will go far. Being in the top with her, as somebody I initially saw as frontrunner in the beginning, was scary for me. Everybody kind of thought I was the lowrunner, like the underdog, and for me to come up and be in the top, I initially thought, 'OK she has this in the bag, it doesn't matter how many best pictures I won because she is still great too'. She still brought something to the table."

What's next for you as the Next Top Model?
"I want to do a little bit of everything! I'm actually going to the Indy 500 at the end of the month which I'm really excited for. The company I worked for want to do a campaign with me and they already shot some pictures with me when I was on the show and it will be for their back-to-school campaign. I'm ready to hit the ground running. I'm trying to take on the talkshow business like Tyra did, since she's leaving and Oprah's leaving..."

So is Tyra someone whose career you'd like to emulate?
"Yes I would like to be a Tyra and Kimora Lee Simmons. They went form the modeling industry and took it by storm and went off and are successful. Kimora Lee Simmons has two or three fashion lines and is doing really well, and Tyra went from modeling into the media and she is like a mogul right now. That is something I want to do and I want to be on that same level as them."

Has Tyra given you any advice?
"The one thing that will always stick with me is she told me, 'Winning this won't be easy and it isn't the end, it's the beginning'. It's the time to get up and fight. She said if you can't get in the front door you go in the backdoor, you go through the window, you get in the cracks, you go down the chimney. Whatever you need to do, you go in there and do that. I will always remember that because it's the fight in me, and she saw it in me. I'm ready!"